A type of modular price indicator currently available commercially, with reference in particular to the sector of luxury items or valuable goods, such as for example gold articles or timepieces, is formed by a plurality of plastic cubes. In use, these cube indicators of the prior art are fixed each to the other along a longitudinal axis, with each cube having an alphanumeric character pressed in a coplanar manner into its surface, or in a raised plane on the display face of the cube. Several such cubes can be arranged together to form an indicator representing a price or other information relevant to an article. Such an indicator is typically placed near an article within a display space that is advantageously lighted and decorated to attract attention and to enhance the visibility and appeal of the article. Cubes of relatively small size are preferred to avoid distracting attention from small size luxury items, such as jewelry. To achieve visibility of the price or model information, despite the relatively small display area offered by the modular price indicator, only highly contrasting colors are used for the alphanumerical characters and the background surface of the cube respectively (e.g., black on white, or white on black background). Price cubes with contrasting white or black colors do not harmonize well with more colorful display spaces and articles, and can limit the range of visual effects possible for such indicators, for example, in most cases, such displays offer so few color options that they most often do not match the alphanumeric characters' color with a dominant color of the article or display backdrop.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,219 to Brentini discloses a modular price indicator wherein the display units comprise a support mount and an alphanumerical segment cantilevered on the support mount. The alphanumeric characters of such display units are not displayed over a background and often provide a reduced visibility, for example, when such a price indicator is placed over a multi-colored surface or within an ornamented display. Reduced visibility is traditionally compensated for through use of display units of relatively larger size compared to the size of a typical, more discretely sized price cube. However, a larger size defies a desirable feature of a price indicator, namely that of providing clearly visible information while harmonizing with the article on display while having a limited visual footprint.
Therefore, what is needed is a price indicator system which provides clearly visible pricing information, and which can be easily harmonized with a variety of display environments and decorum, and which provides alphanumeric characters having a wide range of color without detrimentally altering visibility.
French Pat. No. 2843224 to Pulfer attempts to achieve this result by means of a back-lighted indicator for display purposes which features at least one zone that is transparent to light and that can be configured to display alphanumeric information related to an article. Such an indicator, typically having a rectangular shape, requires the use of a mirror at the back of the front plane of the indicator as to reflect incident lighting toward a direction substantially perpendicular to the front plane of the indicator. Such an indicator is expensive to produce, and not being modular, it is not configurable by the user to display information which is subject to change, such as are prices.
What is therefore needed is a light transmitting modular price indicator system which provides clearly visible pricing information, in a wide range of colors which may be easily harmonized with a variety of display environments and decorum without detrimentally altering visibility.